Improvement in buffers for mule-carriages



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. \VHITEHEAD, 0F SAGO, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUFFERS FOR MULE-CARRIAGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,435, dated August3, 11575 application filcd May 10, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it-known that I, J OHN W. WHITEIIEAD, of Saco, in the county of Yorkand State of Maine, have invented an improved Scli Acting Brake forSpinning-lilules, of which the following is a specification.

The nature of my invention relates to selfacting brakes forspinning-mules, and is an improvement upon the brake for which LettersPatent were granted to me January 14, 1873, numbered 134,960, and whichwill be. more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawing, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a planview of the brake in connection with the frame and the mulecarriage.Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, with a part of the side frameremoved to show the sprin g-brakc and supporting standard.

A represents the platform or base upon which the rails are fastened. Bis the carriage, which is similar to that shown in former pat cuts, andwith the rails, 850., requires no further description. 0 is a standard,fixed permanently to a bearing bar, 0, which is screwed, or otherwisefastened, to the base A. l) is a horizontal plate having in it a slot,(1, and at each end brakets d d to support a sliding bar E, aroundwhich, inside of the brackets, is a spiral spring, F. This bar projectsthrough the bracket (1', and has upon its end a brakehead or bufl'er, E.On the opposite side to this brake is a standard, G, and an adjustablefastened to the base plate in the same manner that standard 0 is. Theplates D and H are fastened to the standards 0 and G by setscrewsthrough the slots, so that they can be adjusted horizontally to anydesired distance.

The operation of these devices is as follows: The gage-plate H is setforward to a given distance, as in Fig. 1, at X. The spring-brake D isthen so adjusted that when the carriage, when running in, forces thebrake-head E up to the lines as 00, Fig. 1, the resistance of the springF will be such as to have gradually checked the motion of the carriage,and, at the same time, the power stored up in the spring will give astarting impulse to the carriage to force it back on its reiurn, all ofwhich serves to prevent any jar, concussion, or heavy blow when thecarriage strikes in, and also to aid the head-gearin g in starting thecarriage on its return, and also to keep an even strain upon the threadsat the time of starting, all of which will be fully understood by thosefamiliar with the operation of spinning-mules.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and for which Idesire Letters Patent, is

1. The adjustable springbrake D E, conr bined with a spinning-nudecarriage, as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination ofthe adjustable springbrake and an adjustablegage-frame II, as and for the purpose described.

JOHN \V. W'HITEIIEAD.

Witnesses:

FERDINAND W. GUPTILL, R. L. K. GRANT.

